liner question
 

I have sandblasted out the dreaded red liner. My question is isw that it is not 100% gone. I'd say 85 to 90%. I've searched this thread for hours looking for the exact reason we want to remove the liner and can't find a good answer. is mostly gone OK or should I spend the extra time and effort to get it 100%Q out.

Red Liner is usually epoxy = hazardous

It is a 3/4. It's an industrial valve I got from one of my customers at a water plant. Very heavy and a full 3/4 when open.

Norco--you're much more steeped in knowledge than I am on this whole UDS deal, and I have learned much from your threads and responses.

Having said that, aren't we overdoing it a bit with our concerns about bits and pieces of a liner that has withstood a high-temp burnout? From a logic standpoint, if that sucker hasn't let go by now, how can the temps we smoke at create problems? In addition, once the drum is seasoned, the baked-on grease creates an additional layer of safety, does it not?

It seems that every forum does a great Paul Revere imitation--"The red lining will kill you! The red lining will kill you!!". And from what I can find out about this phenol-based liner, it does release some really nasty stuff when burned. But is it still an issue once it has been thoroughly burned?

Finally finished the whole thing. Thanks guys thats a lot of information shared. Mine are half built, will finish next week when I have a few days off. Will send pics when done. Thanks to all who contributed. I am looking forward to not tending to every 30 minutes,and feeding bag after bag of charcoal not too mention hauling buckets of ash out of my COS rib ruiner. I have been a loyal KF blue burner, but you guys have me trying lumb. Lowe's has Stub's brand and I've seen RO red around as well. I will also try smoking bacon. The stuff in the stores just isnt worth eating anymore unless I pay $10 for a 1/2 lbs pack. BullS**t

I originally welded in angle iron for grill supports, but I don't like trying to get the bottom grate in. So then I thought about using house door hinges untill I found the guy around page 490 that put legs on his grates. Awesome idea. Mine will have legs. I can't wait to season them and try them out.

I don't believe he's overdoing it one bit. The way you're stating "thoroughly burned" is objective. Just because the epoxy didn't crumble away at 1200 degrees doesn't mean it won't continue to outgas at 300. Outgassing will create bubbles underneath the greased walls and eventually be released.

I can't speak for the toxicity of the epoxy liner but I wouldn't want any remaining layer in a cooker I'd be using for a number of years.

One day we will get to the bottom of this.

My drum has been a royal pain so far in dealing with this liner.

Fuel consumption question
 

I ran a couple of temp test runs during the week using Kingsford blue and Stubb's natural briquettes. Having never used Stubb's before til now (bought a dozen bags during their 2 for 1 sale back in April) I was surprised that it did not burn as hot and did not last as long as the Kingsford in my new UDS.

My charcoal basket size is roughly 13" diameter by 10" tall, mounted 3" above the ash pan. I used the Minion method. I ran these empty (no food).

2 chimney full of Kingsford ran steady at 250F for 12 hours where the same amount of Stubb's the next day only lasted 6 hours tops and required additional vent openings to hold 250F.
Is this difference typical between these two different types of briquettes?

Thanks!

got mine done
 

here it is and first cook. didnt post pics of build cuz i seen it a ton of times in this thread and i did nothing different, but i will say cook grate, lid, and charcoal grate i used from a weber i scored fore $8 at a garage sale.did my first cook today and think i ran hot -butt was done in 8hrs and ribs in 3 the thermometers never went over 215' even with 1 cap off and valve all the way open, no wind and outside temp around mid 80s. wondering if the thermo probes ( not being in middle of cooker ) only go in about an 1 1/2 inches. maybe alot hotter in the middle of cooker? if so will a heat shield over charcoal basket disperse heat more evenly? food was good, not great ribs still juicey, a little overdone= mushy. pulled pork was good ,have to experiment with other rubs for my taste. thanks to all of u for the guidence and education which i have realized is only as good as the experience that i have. already thinkin about next weekends cook and what to cook. thanks again newbie, john

Anyone having problems with the vertical air intake's? I read somewhere some folks had to cut theirs down or make them horizontal to get them to burn long at the right temps. Just curious what folks are seeing.

Well I'm doing the traditional read of the entire UDS thread before I build my own and well.....little did I expect to find the S&M/UDS.....She dirdy.

It appears you have the same short thermometer I have. Is that the glow in the dark, $7 thermometer from Amazon? I also have a Walmart thermometer with a 12" stem. The good news is the short thermometer I have is accurate. The bad news is the reading on the wall is not worth much.

In my short time (seasoning run and then 2 cookings) I have learned there is a major difference between the center of the UDS reading and a reading near the wall. This discrepancy increases as the temperature increases. When my center reading is about 250, my wall reading is about 190. When my center reading is about 325, my wall reading is about 210. This discrepancy is a bit exaggerated with our wall thermometer because our's, I believe, is shorter than most other wall thermometers. Our's extends about 2" past the wall while many extend 4 to 5 inches in. My Walmart thermometer is 12" long.

Because of this I decided to try a heat dispersment plate. Right now I have a 10" aluminum pie pan just above my charcoal basket which is about 9" below my cooking grate. It reduces the discrepancy but only a small amount. Now when my center runs 250, my wall runs about 200 to 205. I need to increase the diameter of my 10" pie pan or raise it or some combination of both.

If you have problems with temp controls it could be your pipes.They may be too tall to get a good draft.

I too had been wondering about the vertical pipes, and whether they'd be able to suck enough air into the bottom of the barrel. I decided to split the difference and use 12" up pipes. We'll see how that goes as far as maintaining temps. That's easy enough to change out if I need to just go back to horizontally mounted valves. I also plan to use a few thermometers in my UDS. I'm a "gauge guy" so I plan to have a long stem thermometer in the side, as well as a short one next to it so I can see the temperature difference between the edge and the center. I might put one in the lid, just for the fun of it. But I think it would also be useful to get a cheap-o oven thermometer and set it right on the grate next to the food. That way, when you open the lid to turn the food, you'll be able to see what the temp is right on the grate. If I keep this up, my poor UDS is going to look like the cockpit of a fighter jet! :doh:

I have read up to about 125 in the past week and am very impressed with the level of information that is in this thread. I was wondering if anyone knows where I can get a drum in my area (Baltimore, MD) I am ready to get started. If I didnt have to burn out that would be great too since I'm in ..... Baltimore.